by HELEN HARDT
“I think we can handle this. But if you’d feel better, I’ll summon him.”
“No, I’m sure he’s exhausted. I’ll get the ice.” He quickly rang for a servant and dispatched the order. When the ice arrived, Lucy crushed some in a cup and gave it to Daniel.
“Hold her head up and feed her some ice chips, one by one. They’ll melt quickly in her mouth because she’s so hot.”
Daniel did as he was told, while Lucy dropped some ice in a basin of cool water. She dipped a cloth in, wrung it out, and placed it on Lily’s forehead.
“Daniel, I need to undress her. We need to cool her body.” Lucy uncovered Lily and began to unbutton the nightdress that covered her. “If you’d rather…”
“No, I’ll stay. I want to take care of her.”
“What would the earl say?”
“I don’t care. I’m the one who will care for her. I want to. I need to.”
“All right, dear. It’s the middle of the night anyway. Who will know?”
Lucy removed the nightgown. Lily’s naked body was covered in a soft gleam of perspiration. Daniel frowned at the purple-and-blue bruises marring her beautiful arms and legs.
“The contusions are quite normal considering the fall she took,” Lucy said. “She’s lucky she didn’t break any bones.”
Her comment did little to ease Daniel’s worry. Lucy brought another cloth soaked in ice water and smoothed it over Lily’s parched body.
“The fever will go up and down, Daniel. That’s the course of it. When she’s hot like this, she needs to be cooled. When she shivers with fever chills, you need to cover her and warm her.”
“Yes. All right. Let me.” He took the cloth from Lucy, moistened it the ice water once more, and continued moving it over Lily’s body in long strokes. He rewet the cloth frequently, as her body seemed to heat the cloth all the way to his hand in no time at all.
Lucy touched her lips to Lily’s forehead. “She’s a bit cooler now. Give her a few more ice pieces. If you’d like to get some sleep, I’ll sit with her for the rest of the night.”
“No. I’m not leaving her.”
“All right, if you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
“You know where I am if you need me. She’s likely to go into chills soon. Wrap her in blankets, hold her, anything that seems to comfort her, all right?”
“Yes.”
“Good night.”
“Good night, Aunt Lucy. Thank you.”
Daniel didn’t sleep for the rest of the night. As Lucy had predicted, Lily began to shiver within a couple of hours. Daniel wrapped her in blankets and held her in his arms, speaking soothing words to her, hoping she could hear him.
“I love you,” he said softly. “I love you, Lily.”
Her body trembled against his, her eyes closed. He held her as close as he could, trying to transfer his body heat to her, kissing her temples, loving her, willing her to come back to him. When the chills finally subsided, he laid her back on the bed and tried to feed her some water, most of which dribbled down her chin. “Come on, love, just a little,” he said, “for me.”
In another hour she was burning again, so he fed her pieces of ice and cooled her as Lucy had shown him. Dawn broke, and at the hour of seven, he gave her another dose of morphine. Soon after, Dr. Blake came in.
“How is she?” he asked.
“Feverish,” Daniel said. “My aunt showed me what to do.”
“Have you been up all night, Your Grace?”
“I slept a little.”
Blake shook his head. “Let me examine her.” The doctor removed the covers and gazed upon Lily, clad only in a dressing robe that Daniel had draped over her. He held his hand to her forehead. “She’s a little warm, but not burning. You’ve taken good care of her.” He looked between her legs. “No residual bleeding. That’s good. When was her last dose of morphine?”
“Just a little while ago, at seven.”
“Good. Let’s continue it every six hours for the next full day. We should be able to cut back after that. She may wake up for a few minutes today, but that remains to be seen. Her concussion may keep her unconscious for another twenty-four hours. I’d like for her to take some broth if she wakes up. I’ll have some sent up. You’ll need to keep it warm on the grate since we don’t know when or if she’ll wake up today. Has she taken any water?”
“A little. It mostly drips down her chin.”
“How about ice?”
“When she’s burning, I let it melt in her mouth. It seems to go down.”
“Try ice for now, then. It will be easier to get into her than water. Keep feeding it to her.”
“Yes, all right.”
“Also, I’d like her bed linens changed. She’ll be more comfortable if they’re changed every day. More frequently if possible. The sweat from her body soils the linens and will irritate her skin.”
“I’ll see to it.”
“Good. Have her parents been in yet?”
“I’m here now,” the Countess of Ashford said, entering the room carrying a wicker basket. “How is my daughter?”
“She’s doing well, my lady. She’s feverish, but His Grace has taken excellent care of her. He’s hardly slept.”
“You should go, Your Grace. I’ll sit with her.”
“She needs her bed linens changed,” Daniel said.
“I’ll call for a maid,” the countess said.
“No, I want to do it.”
“Your Grace, that’s silly. There are servants—”
“I want to take care of her.”
Dr. Blake bowed. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll leave you two to fight this out. I’ll be back in to check on her in a few hours.” As he walked out, he turned to look at Daniel. “Your Grace, Lady Ashford is right. You need to rest. Have the servants change the linens, and let her mother sit with her for a while. She’s in good hands.” He shut the door behind him.
“You really do love her, don’t you?” Lady Ashford said.
Daniel sat down in his leather chair which had been moved to Lily’s side of the bed. “More than my own life.”
The countess sat down next to Lily, facing Daniel, and took one of her daughter’s hands in her own. “She’s not an easy one to love, you know. She’s stubborn as a mule, impatient, impulsive, quick to anger. She has little respect for authority or convention. She gave her father and me more trouble than Thomas and Rose combined.”
The countess laughed softly, smiling, drawing her daughter’s hand to her lips and kissing it lightly. “Oh, but she’s worth it. She’s so very intelligent and strong, so avidly curious. She has a passion and excitement for life that I’ve always envied. She finds joy and beauty in the simplest things.” She looked up at Daniel. “When she was younger, she used to share her journals with me. She wrote about everything, sometimes about the most mundane things, a cricket chirping, or a clump of weed growing in one of the gardens. Yet her descriptions made me feel as though I were experiencing something amazing for the first time. She has a manner of wriggling her way into one’s heart.”
She took one of Daniel’s hands and joined it to hers and Lily’s. “She has a big heart, you know. There’s room for you. Just be patient with her. She’ll come around.”
Daniel nodded numbly.
“Come now,” the countess continued. “You need to take care of yourself. You need a bath, a decent meal, and some sleep. Go to your father’s old chamber. I’ll send Putney to attend you.”
Daniel shook his head. “I can’t leave her.”
“You’re no good to her in this condition.”
Daniel stood up. Lily’s mother was right. “If anything changes…”
“I’ll send for you. Now go.”
“But—”
“Goodness, let me be her mother a little while longer. You’ll take care of her for the rest of her life.”
“I hope so.” Daniel raked his fingers through his disheveled hair moist with sweat and oil. “I w
ant nothing more than to be her husband. But I won’t force her to marry me. I was wrong to go behind her back and arrange it with the earl.”
Lady Ashford rose from the bed and fetched the basket she had brought with her. “Some of Lily’s things,” she said. “To make her feel more comfortable when she wakes up.” She pulled out the Dickens novel. “From you?”
“Yes.”
She pulled out another book. “This is Lily’s journal. I couldn’t resist sneaking a quick peek. Her writing used to give me so much pleasure. I’d like to show you something.” She opened the book and leafed through the pages until she found the entry she sought. “I want you to read this.”
“I couldn’t,” Daniel said. “It’s too personal.”
“Under the circumstances, I don’t think she would mind.”
Daniel took the journal and began to read.
Daniel has the most remarkable green eyes I’ve ever seen. He no doubt inherited them from his mother, whose vivid eyes are striking, but Daniel’s are unique. On the surface, the color is like a flawless emerald, but beneath is a darker green, and then a layer of light violet, which is especially apparent around the edge of his irises. Beneath the violet is a sea of midnight blue, adding depth. When I stare into his eyes, I’m almost positive that I can see the very innermost chambers of his soul.
Were I a musician, I would compose a symphony for his eyes. The violins and violas would be the emerald green, floating over everything else, giving the music its structure, with the cello and bass viols providing the darker forest color that lies just under the surface. A trio of flutes, joined by a clarinet and oboe, would be the flutter of violet beneath the green, and the brass and percussion would be the ocean of midnight blue, thundering under all the rest, giving the orchestration its profound depth and meaning.
As an artist, I don’t think I could ever do justice to his beautiful eyes. How could I? The angels themselves must have come to earth to paint them in his mother’s womb. They have a celestial quality, as if I can see heaven when I look into them. Yet they’re reflective as well, like a looking glass wherein I can see not only his soul but my own. I feel defenseless, looking at him and knowing that my hidden thoughts and emotions, the very recesses of my heart, are visible to him. But I can’t look away. I don’t want to. My greatest desire is to lose myself in his eyes forever. It frightens me.
Daniel looked up at the countess, tears misting in the corners of his fatigued eyes.
“You should be proud, you know.” Lady Ashford smiled. “The chirping crickets didn’t merit half that much detail.”
Daniel began to smile. The countess was so different from Lily, but she shared a strength with her daughter. Lily’s strength was like a bolt of lightning, cascading down when she needed it, while her mother’s was like the soft glow of a candle in the fog, with quiet and patient determination. The countess had a sense of humor as well, so much like her daughter’s.
“There’s an ode to your hair on the next page,” Lady Ashford continued, “but we’ll save that for another time.” She took the journal from him, replaced it in the basket, and patted his hand lightly. “Dear boy, do you truly think my daughter could write about your eyes like that if she didn’t love you?”
“She writes that way about everything,” Daniel said. “About crickets chirping, you said so yourself. It’s who she is.”
“I don’t want to rain on your parade,” the countess said, smiling, “because your eyes are quite nice. But they’re green, Your Grace. Simply green. What she sees in them comes from her feelings for you.”
“I would give anything for her to love me.”
“She does.” Lady Ashford squeezed his hand lightly. “And she will realize it eventually. Now go on, out with you. I’ll tend to Lily.”
“I don’t want—”
“We’ve been through this. I’ll send for you if she wakes up. Please, take care of yourself. Do it for Lily. She needs you.”
Daniel nodded. Those were the words he needed to hear. “She needs another dose of morphine at one, but surely I’ll be back by then. Also, the doctor sent for some broth. She needs to try to take some if she wakes up. Of course, if she wakes up, you’ll come for me.”
“Yes, I promise.”
“All right.”
Daniel reluctantly left the room, negotiating his way to his father’s chamber in the west wing. Putney was waiting for him and started to speak, but Daniel silenced him with a gesture.
“Wake me in two hours, Putney,” he said, and fell on his father’s bed.
* * *
Two hours later Daniel bathed and shaved. He ordered a lunch tray but couldn’t eat more than a couple of bites. He went back to his chamber and found Rose and Thomas tending to her.
“How is she?”
“The same,” Rose said. “She had a bout of the chills about an hour ago, but she’s better now.”
Daniel went to her side. “Where’s the countess?”
“She went down to the kitchen to instruct the cooks on how to prepare some special broth for Lily,” Rose said. “She’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“You two can go,” Daniel said. “I’ll care for her.”
“You look like hell, Lybrook,” Thomas said.
“Thank you. I just had a bath.”
“I didn’t say you weren’t clean. But have you slept at all?”
“Only for two hours. I wanted to get back to Lily.”
“Goodness, you need your rest,” Rose said. “Have you eaten anything?”
“Just a few bites.”
“That’s ridiculous. I’m ordering a tray for you. You can eat in here while you sit with her.” Rose stood.
“I don’t want—”
“Nonsense, you’ll do as I say.”
Daniel turned to Thomas. “She and your mother are just like Lily, aren’t they?”
Thomas smiled. “I’m afraid so. Lily’s a bit noisier than they are, but all three of them manage to get their way no matter what.”
“Do be quiet, Thomas,” Rose said.
“My father and I pretty much let them do as they please,” Thomas continued. “They will anyway. You may as well eat. She’ll hover over you until you do.”
Daniel shook his head, a trace of amusement touching his lips. “Has my mother been in?”
“Yes, she was here about an hour ago. She visited with my mother and Rose, and left about the same time I came.”
“And the doctor?”
“He was here a half hour ago. Said things were looking good. Miss Landon came and checked her also, and my aunt and cousins were here.”
Daniel sat down on the bed and took Lily’s hand. “Damn it, why won’t she wake up?”
“Blake said she may not,” Thomas said. “He said not to expect it for sure until tomorrow.”
Daniel touched his lips to Lily’s forehead. “She seems a little cooler.”
Rose got up as a maid entered with a tray. “Just set that on my sister’s night table,” she commanded. Then, to Daniel, “Eat every bit, Your Grace.”
“I need a little fresh air,” Thomas said. “I’ll be back to check on her later.”
“Jameson, don’t leave me alone with her,” Daniel pleaded.
Thomas chuckled as he walked out the door. “It’ll be good practice for when you’re married to Lily.”
“Come on,” Rose said, “or I shall have to summon my mother, and yours.”
“That’s hitting below the belt.” Daniel took a bite of a scone which tasted like sawdust. He noticed a quick flutter of Lily’s eyelids. “Lily?”
“What happened?” Rose asked.
“Her eyes moved just a little.” He shook Lily gently. “Lily, can you hear me?” Another flutter. “I think she’s responding.”
Rose came quickly. “She may just be dreaming.”
“Yes, I suppose you could be right.”
“I’m going to go get her puppy from the kennels,” Rose said. “I’ll be back in a little
while.”
“All right. Thank you for taking care of her.”
“I would do anything for her. She’s the closest person to me in the world.” Rose left the room briskly.
Daniel leaned down and kissed Lily’s parched lips. “Please wake up, my love. There are so many people who love you and need you. Especially me.”
Lily’s eyes fluttered again. “Daniel?”
Daniel’s heart thumped. “Lily, Lily. I’m here.”
“Where am I?”
“You’re in my chamber. You fell down the stairs. Do you remember?”
“I-I think…”
“Don’t try to talk, love. I’ll take care of you. I’m going to get you some broth.”
“Don’t want…”
”Shh.” Daniel brought the broth and helped her lift her head. “Come on, love.” He spooned some into her mouth. “That’s a good girl.” Lily took two more spoonfuls before she fell back into unconsciousness.
“Damn it, Lily, don’t leave me again!” He laid her head down on the pillow as she started shivering. Daniel wrapped her in blankets and held her close.
Chapter 18
Lily awoke in darkness, drenched in sweat, her body wrapped in a dank chemise. Cold and clammy bed linens clung to her bare skin. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, she attempted to move her body, but dull aches overwhelmed her. She groaned softly and tried to sit up, bracing her hands beside her, startled to feel another body next to hers. Daniel was on top of the covers, dressed in a shirt and trousers.
“Daniel?” she whispered. When there was no response, she gathered all the strength she could muster and nudged his arm gently. “Daniel?”
His eyes flashed open. “Lily? My God, Lily!” He sat up quickly. “My love, how are you feeling?”
“I hurt.”
“I know. I’m so sorry. Don’t try to move.”
“I’m all wet. The linens are soaked. I don’t know why.”
“Your fever must have broken.” He touched his lips to her forehead. “Thank God!”
Daniel tumbled out of bed, fumbled for a lamp, and lit it. He looked out his window. “Dawn will break soon.” He brought her a glass of water. “You need to drink. Come on.”